Hogwarts.
The Greenhouses.
Professor Sprout brought Misha into the greenhouse.
Misha looked around, her face full of curiosity.
She had visited flower shops with Tom back in London, but she had never seen anything like this...
Words completely failed her.
It was nothing like any flower shop she had ever seen.
The blooms here were so incredibly lush. Many of the flowers were entirely out of season for winter, yet they were blooming in all their delicate glory inside this little greenhouse.
"Professor... Professor Sprout, can I call you that?"
"Of course, dear. Whether you want to call me Professor Sprout or Professor Pomona, I'd be more than happy," Professor Sprout said, offering a warm smile. "Here, you can learn, live, and do whatever you please."
Professor Sprout found a chair and sat down, propping her chin on her hands, watching the greenhouse's newest visitor with genuine amusement.
This was one of Professor Sprout's greatest joys.
She could tell that little Miss Misha truly loved flowers; the pure delight shining in the girl's eyes was impossible to hide.
"Misha, do you like it here?"
"I love it!" Misha cheered, clasping her hands together, her eyes practically sparkling with stars. "Back at the orphanage, Tom and I used to go to the flower shops nearby all the time. We... my dream is to open a flower shop of my own."
"And if possible, I want Tom to run it with me."
"Life at the orphanage wasn't always as good as it is now. Tom and I actually had to go out and sell flowers just to get by, just so we could buy everyone a little dessert after dinner."
Misha reminisced about those days.
Back then, Tom wasn't a wizard yet, and he wasn't nearly this busy.
He always had so much free time. On weekend nights, she used to fall asleep listening to him tell bedtime stories.
Misha's favorite story was always the one about the Monkey King guiding the monk on a journey to the West to retrieve sacred texts.
"Tom..." Professor Sprout murmured his name softly.
She knew Tom's childhood had been incredibly difficult, but she never imagined he had actually been out on the streets selling flowers.
What an absolutely endearing boy.
"Well..." she said gently. "There's plenty of empty space here. You can plant whatever flowers you like."
"Really? Thank you so much, Professor Sprout!"
Professor Sprout waved a hand dismissively. "I've always loved flowers too. That's exactly why I became the Herbology professor when I returned to Hogwarts."
"This greenhouse is my most treasured possession. Here, any flower can bloom. You don't have to wait for the right season. I hope you can make some beautiful memories here."
Professor Sprout pulled a few books from a nearby shelf. "If you have the time, you could take a look at these. They contain a wealth of knowledge about magical herbs."
Misha was hooked immediately. She hurried over to Professor Sprout's side, picked out a few textbooks that caught her eye, and opened them on the table.
"Professor, this Mandrake... is it alive?"
Misha's jaw dropped in shock.
"Of course it's alive. Both animals and plants have their own lives, and the Mandrake is no exception. But if you want to study Mandrakes, you have to be incredibly careful. Otherwise, they can seriously hurt you. To the average wizard, they are quite terrifying."
"When harvesting a Mandrake, you absolutely must wear earmuffs. If you don't, its piercing scream could knock you out cold."
Professor Sprout poured Misha a hot cup of jasmine orange tea.
Misha cradled the hot teacup in her hands, rubbing her thumbs along the ceramic for quite a while before asking Professor Sprout her second question.
Back and forth they went, until Misha had thoroughly digested everything in the book she hadn't understood.
While Professor Sprout kept a calm facade, she was genuinely astounded on the inside.
She had never seen a child with such high comprehension skills.
Misha's every move completely exceeded Professor Sprout's expectations.
For the vast majority of people, Herbology was dry and tedious. Some students even dozed off during her classes, which infuriated her.
Tom, of course, was the exception to that rule.
Professor Sprout still vividly remembered the day Tom fell ill. She had explicitly told him he could take the day off and skip Herbology the next morning.
But Tom dragged himself right out of his hospital bed anyway!
That day, Professor Sprout truly felt how deeply that boy cared about her class.
Time flew by.
The two of them sat in the greenhouse, falling into a comfortable rhythm of questions and answers. Whenever Misha's cup was empty, Professor Sprout immediately brought over a fresh pot of hot tea to refill it.
By the afternoon, Misha rubbed her eyes, blinking hard.
Her stomach was starting to rumble.
"Getting hungry? Come with me, child. The Hogwarts dining hall is open to you at any hour. Just remember, you must be back in the dorms before curfew. Actually... you can stay here with me, if you don't mind living with an old woman."
"Professor Sprout, you're very young and very pretty! You're the prettiest professor I've ever seen!"
Misha wasn't lying.
Mostly because Professor Sprout was literally the only female professor she had ever met.
Feeling the absolute sincerity in the girl's words, Professor Sprout touched her cheek again, immensely flattered.
She truly is Tom's sister. She knows exactly what to say to make a person smile.
It only made sense that a brother like Tom would have such an obedient, sensible little sister.
Professor Sprout cleared her throat. "If you need anything at all, little one, just let me know. Now, let's get you to the Great Hall."
The Great Hall.
Perhaps because of the holidays, the hall was nearly empty.
Aside from a few students who had stayed behind, there was hardly anyone around.
Misha sat next to Professor Sprout. She stared down at her plate, unable to stop herself from gasping. "Professor, how... how much do I owe for this?"
"It's entirely free. Everything at Hogwarts is free."
A philanthropist!
An absolute saint!
Misha silently thanked Headmaster Dumbledore in her heart.
Only a truly kind-hearted gentleman could do something so generous.
Those bloodsucking capitalists back in London couldn't wait to jack up the prices on everything. The factory bosses were the worst—they'd rather pour unsold milk straight down the drain than donate it to the orphanage, even knowing so many kids there had never even tasted milk.
Misha had been raised with good manners. She didn't waste a single crumb, eating every last bite on her plate.
After finishing her dinner, Misha let out a quiet burp. Realizing her slip-up, she instantly clamped a hand over her mouth, the tips of her ears turning bright red.
"Professor, I don't think I've seen Tom around."
"Tom... well, Professor Snape—yes, that oversized bat of a professor—is incredibly strict with Tom. You won't be seeing them around at this hour."
"That overgrown bat is completely dreadful. He only lets Tom and Isabelle eat their dinner late at night, right before curfew."
As she said this, Professor Sprout clenched her fists.
Snape truly was despicable!
If it were her, seeing Tom working so incredibly hard, she would have at least brought him a plate of food.
Even though it was highly inappropriate for a professor to openly criticize a colleague, Professor Sprout didn't care. It needed to be said.
"He is dreadful!" Misha gritted her teeth fiercely.
I knew it. I just don't like Professor Snape. He's so mean to Tom.
When I open my flower shop in the future, I'm definitely taking Tom with me. I won't let Professor Snape exploit him anymore.
"Ladies. I believe I just heard you speaking ill of me." The oversized bat himself suddenly materialized, his cold voice cutting in right behind them. "Miss Misha, I would suggest that the next time you decide to insult someone, you ensure they aren't standing right behind you. And you—"
He shifted his gaze to Professor Sprout. "Madam Sprout, I never took you for the type to gossip behind someone's back."
Caught red-handed, Misha hung her head in shame, too intimidated to meet Professor Snape's eyes.
Professor Sprout, however, wasn't bothered in the slightest. She replied brazenly, "Were we speaking ill of you? If memory serves, we were discussing an overgrown bat."
"Tell me, Mr. Snape, are you the dreadful, student-exploiting, dinner-denying oversized bat we were talking about?"
Snape's face darkened with rage.
"I am here right now to bring the two of them their dinner."
Misha whimpered softly, "But Professor Sprout just said you only let Tom and the others eat right before curfew."
"And you explicitly said earlier that if the shadow—if Isabelle didn't learn the material, and if Tom's skills didn't improve, you wouldn't let them eat at all!"
Misha was a very literal, single-track thinker. The concept of "tsundere" did not exist in her vocabulary.
She took everything exactly at face value.
If Professor Snape said they couldn't eat, then they couldn't eat.
And if Tom was getting to eat now... then that meant Tom had improved again!
It was the result of Tom's own hard work and had absolutely nothing to do with the overgrown bat professor's kindness.
"Hmph," Snape sneered coldly, not bothering to engage with either of them further.
Foolish, ignorant women. They have absolutely no idea what I'm trying to do.
If he didn't threaten those two brats, they'd undoubtedly slack off for the entire day.
After collecting the food, Snape left swiftly, not lingering around them for a second longer.
As he passed by Professor Sprout and Misha, Snape even put on a show of speeding up his pace, causing Professor Sprout to scoff inwardly. So dramatic. He acts like a primary schooler, despite his age.
"Exactly," Misha agreed.
"Dreadful man. He probably thinks he's incredibly popular."
"Exactly!" Misha enthusiastically agreed again.
She really felt like Professor Sprout was the absolute best. They were standing firmly on a united front.
"Judging by what he took, Tom definitely won't be full tonight."
"Ah?" Misha stopped agreeing and instantly grew anxious. "Tom is a growing boy, too. What if he starves? Professor Sprout, can I take some food to Tom and Isabelle? I'm really worried about them."
Professor Sprout initially wanted to refuse. She wanted to explain to Misha that anything involving Snape's domain was strictly off-limits. But seeing the genuine worry painted across Misha's face, she immediately patted her chest and agreed. "Of course you can!"
"We'll head out right now. I'll draw Snape away, and you can slip in and find them."
"At this hour, I'd bet my wand they're down in the Potions lab. There's a secret chamber down there, and Tom and Isabelle are definitely inside it."
The two of them packed a massive haul of food.
They grabbed fresh-out-of-the-oven burgers, chicken wraps, and several slices of pizza. Worried Tom might get sick of the heavy food, Misha also packed two salads, some after-dinner fruit, and iced lemon tea.
Fully armed with supplies, Misha and Professor Sprout set off.
"You have to be extremely careful. We cannot let that overgrown bat catch us sneaking up on him. Misha, look for an opening and slip right in. This is your very first battle."
Misha nodded fiercely. "I won't let you down, Professor."
When they reached the Potions lab door, Professor Sprout cast a Disillusionment Charm on Misha, rendering her completely invisible. Only then did she step up and boldly knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Snape's voice echoed from within. He didn't open the door right away.
"It's me. Open up," Professor Sprout demanded, banging on the wood.
"Madam Sprout, you should be in your greenhouses right now, not loitering outside my Potions lab. Or are you here to micromanage my progress?"
Professor Sprout didn't want to waste time arguing. She simply drew her wand. "None of your business. Open the door, or I'm blasting it open."
"I will report you to Albus! I will tell him exactly how barbaric you are being!"
"Hmph. Go right ahead! And I'll tell Albus exactly what you've been doing to those two children. Snape, step outside! Duel me!"
The door finally swung open. Professor Sprout shot a quick, meaningful glance to the invisible Misha, who immediately slipped past Snape and into the room.
Snape's eyes casually swept past the empty air beside the door.
Even though Misha was invisible, to Snape, it made absolutely no difference. The faint, fresh scent clinging to her was remarkably similar to Tom's. One sniff was all it took for Snape to know someone had just snuck into his lab.
"Madam Sprout, don't you think this behavior is highly inappropriate?"
"What behavior?" Professor Sprout threw her hands up in feigned innocence. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I merely came to remind you that it's time for your patrol of the boys' dormitories. And you should probably go ask Mr. Filch if he's spotted any suspicious individuals roaming about."
"In my eyes, you are the most suspicious individuals in this castle!"
Professor Sprout ignored him completely, continuing to pester Snape to ensure he wouldn't turn around and discover Misha in the room.
As for the increasingly nasty remarks tumbling out of Snape's mouth...
She just tuned them out. It was his mouth; he could say whatever he wanted. It wasn't skin off her back.
Blah, blah, blah. Get called an oversized bat once and throw a massive tantrum, why don't you?
Meanwhile, Misha had found the entrance to the secret chamber.
It wasn't hard to find—Tom's scent simply vanished at a specific spot.
Misha sniffed the air vigorously, like a police dog on a trail.
She tapped on a loose stone brick. After glancing back to ensure Snape was still thoroughly distracted by Professor Sprout, she slipped inside the hidden passageway.
The moment Misha stepped inside, the candles lining the stairwell instantly flared to life.
Magic really is amazing. Misha marveled silently.
She hurried down the stairs and finally spotted a very familiar face.
"Tom! I finally— Isabelle, what the heck are you doing?!"
Misha instantly bristled, pointing an accusing finger right at the shadow. "You shameless, absolutely shameless girl!"